Supreme Danger Beast
by Wacko12
Summary: It was the master of the sky and land. It's position was absolute and iron clad. Many, from the greatest of warriors to the mightiest of beasts have challenged it but none ever succeeded. None could stand before it The beast had many names but throughout history it has always been known as the Supreme Danger Beast: END. For that is what it brought to its enemies. M for a reason.
1. The Supreme Danger Beast

**This was an idea I had for a while. Natsu will not be paired with anyone and the other pairings will be the same. Anyway I hope you all enjoy and be sure to review!**

 **(Esdeath's Army)**

Beautiful. Sadistic. Powerful. Unstoppable. Those were just a few of the many words used to describe Esdeath, the strongest general of the Empire and wielder of the powerful ice manipulating Teigu, Demon's Extract. Esdeath was a tall, beautiful and slender woman with porcelain skin, long light blue hair and blue eyes. She wore the General's apparel with long sleeves, a blue scarf on her neck, and high-heeled boots. She also had a unique tattoo on her chest.

She hailed from the now extinct Partas Clan, a clan that specialized in hunting Danger Beasts. From that lifestyle and her father's philosophy "The strong survive and the weak die" is what made Esdeath the woman she is today. To her, battles were her life, especially when she fought against powerful opponents before eventually breaking them and making them beg for mercy at her feet.

Seated on her horse, Esdeath looked over a wide snowy field from a hill that was currently occupied by her army, having set up camp, with a round wooden wall circling it. Right now her army was traveling in the northern lands. Their goal was to subjugate the Northern Tribes and its hero, Prince Numa Seika. The tribes had recently increased their military forces to the point that the Prime Minister, Honest, had decided that they must be eliminated before they became a threat to the Empire (in other words his power). So naturally he sent Esdeath, the strongest general, to destroy the Northern forces and ensure that they never try to go against Honest and the Empire again.

Her army had just entered northern territory a few days ago and was setting up camp. They had settled themselves on a flat terrain with only a few hills around them, as they were taking the fastest route to their destination. There was however, high mountains just a few miles away from the campsite. That area was avoided by travelers due to the dangerous Danger Beasts that occupied it.

"Hopefully this 'Hero of the Northern Tribes' can give me a challenge." Esdeath said to herself as she ushered the horse to take her back down to the camp. Around her the snow blew harshly but she paid it no heed, long use to the harsh weather of the North.

After going pas the guards, Esdeath made her way back to her tent. There she saw three men waiting for her. They all wore matching black uniforms. At the head was the leader, Liver, a former General whom Esdeath had released from prison. He had grey hair tied into a long ponytail with a mustache and blue eyes. Behind him was Daidara, a large muscular man with long spiky blonde hair and wore a black headdress with horns on it. His eyes were a pure white and pupil-less. And finally was Nyau, the youngest and shortest member of the three. He had short blonde hair and eyes with slit-like pupils. He had fanged teeth and just like Daidara, he wore a horned-theme headdress. These were Esdeath's Three Beasts, her strongest subordinates as well as bodyguards and enforcers, and were also Teigu users.

"What is it Liver?" Esdeath asked the older man. Said person bowed along with the other two. He then stood up straight and looked at Esdeath.

"Esdeath-sama, I thought you should know that the scouts you sent out earlier have yet to return." Liver reported.

Esdeath frown at that bit of news. Not too long ago she had sent a squad of ten men to scout out the smoke rising up to the air several miles away behind some hills that was in between the camp and the taller mountains. That had been two hours and still no word from them. She knew that all of her soldiers were competent warriors, she had no weaklings in her army, but the chances of them being killed was not too far off. Esdeath was about to respond when a ruckus from the entrance caught her attention. Immediately the General made her way towards the entrance, the Three Beasts behind her. Already a crowd had gathered around the source of the commotion, but automatically parted to let Esdeath past.

When she got through, she saw that several of her army's medics were tending to a soldier, one of the scouts she had sent earlier. The man looked like he just came out of an inferno; his uniform was badly burnt, he was missing his headgear, burns, bruises and blood covered his body. But what really caught Esdeath's attention was the look in his eyes. They had the look of someone witnessing death and the image would not go away.

"What happened?" Esdeath ordered a nearby officer, wanting an explanation.

"We're not sure ma'am." The officer replied. "He just got here a minute ago, shaking like a leaf. It's a miracle that he was still alive. When we tried asking him what happened to the rest of the scouting party, he just kept muttering about flames, death and monster. I think the team ran into a Danger Beast of some kind."

Esdeath raised an eyebrow, wondering what kind of Danger Beast could spark such fear into her men when suddenly…

" **ROOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!"**

In an instant everything stopped. Everyone froze at the sound of the large roar. The soldiers were looking around frantically for the source of the noise, while the horses were also reacting, neighing wildly and shuffling about, ignoring the soldiers' attempts of calming them down. Esdeath's eyes widened at the sound, one filled with power and how it was causing the Danger Beast blood, the one that formed her Teigu, within her to react wildly, as if it was becoming anxious. Though whether it was bloodlust or fear she did not know.

"W-what the hell was that?! A Danger Beast?" Nyau stuttered, completely surprise by the loud noise.

"I never heard of one sound so terrifying, it must be Ultra-class." Liver commented as he looked around for the source of the roar. Daidara had pulled out Belevac, his Axe Teigu.

Esdeath was silent, her keen eyes trying to track down the creature. The Danger Beast blood was getting more and more frantic and she was having trouble keeping it tamed. However her sixth sense picked up a presence approaching from _above_. Snapping her head upwards, her blue eyes widened when she saw the clouds parted, making room for a large being. Soon everyone else looked up and gasped at the creature flying down.

Flying down from the sky was a gigantic western dragon covered in dark red scales, while the lower part of its body, mainly its belly, the inner portion of its legs and long tail were beige in color. It had a scar on the right side of its neck and a cross-shaped scar on the left side of its abdomen and finally another one on its right cheek, a jagged blemish. It had numerous black spikes on its back, reaching down from the back all the way to the end of its tail. Its head had a triangular shape with horns and large round black eyes with yellow sclera, and a sharp pointing upward just above its nose. Its mouth was opened, revealing sharp canine teeth and she could see that its claws had long, sharp red nails. Finally its large bony wings resembled bat wings, with rippled tips.

"Beautiful…" Esdeath murmured, her eyes staying locked on the dragon's form. She had hunted many Danger Beasts in her youth, but never had she seen anything as magnificent as this one. Everything about this one, from the look in its eyes, its form, and the way it carried itself, simply screamed power. Logic dictated that this dragon was no doubt an Ultra-class Danger Beast like Liver had said, but a part of Esdeath knew that even Ultra-Class did not suit this Dragon. In fact as she took closer look at it, the dragon sort of reminded Esdeath of a story she was told as a child. Her eyes widened as realization hit her, she knew this Dragon was not Ultra-Class, but something far greater.

Her thoughts were broken when the Dragon landed in the center of the camp. The action caused the tents nearby to fly away and scatter away from the gust created by the Dragon's wings. The men all shouted in surprise as they tried to organize themselves while getting a safe distance away from the large reptile. Esdeath took notice of how the snow around the dragon melted the moment its feet touched the ground. It paid no heed to the soldiers that were only a few feet away from it, as the dragon raised its head and began scanning the area. To Esdeath's view, it appeared as if the Dragon was searching for something or someone.

But that changed when it looked down where her soldiers were. The moment it saw the banner they were carrying, some having her own personal symbol as well as the Empire's, its mood changed instantly. Its eyes widened in what appeared to be realization before narrowing in anger. Another loud roar escaped it open mouth that literally knocked the solders off their feet. Panic filled them as the soldiers opened fire with their rifles while some used arrows and spears as projectiles, all towards the Dragon. However none of these even came close to harm the large Dragon as it reared its head back, followed by the chest area glowing red.

"Shit, run! It's going too-" A soldier tried to warn his comrades but it came too late as the Dragon opened its mouth once more. This time it released a devastating breath of searing hot fire. The flames struck the soldiers in waves, incinerating the closes ones until not even their bones remained. The others who were not in direct line of the flames were screaming in agony as the flames ate away their flesh. Those that had managed to avoid being hit could only watch in horror as their comrades were being burned alive. Their fear eventually took over and they soon spun around and ran, fleeing for their lives. The Dragon merely let out another roar to the sky, a stream of flames lighting up the sky.

"Everyone fall back!" Liver shouted, trying to get some order amongst the men. Daidara and Nyau were also trying to help. They had little success as the Dragon's roars and flames were overshadowing any other noise. Already the flames began to spread throughout the campsite, lighting all the tents and wooden walls aflame. Men who weren't fast enough screamed in pain as the flames consumed their clothes and flesh. Some were struck either by the Dragon's claws or tail, ripping them apart or sending them flying. As Liver kept trying to control the army, the former general caught something from the corner of his eyes. "Esdeath-sama!"

The General ignored him, her focus only on the dragon. She dashed past her fleeing soldiers straight towards the Dragon, a wide malicious smile on her face as she felt the joy of facing such a powerful being. Her smile widened even further when the dragon turned its attention towards Esdeath. It had a look of surprise on its face before changing to one of anger. That was Esdeath's cue as she used her Teigu to create a wave of ice spikes. "Weissschnabel!" She yelled and launched them at the dragon. As she did memories of her childhood resurfaced, of a story her father once told her.

' _Some say he came from the east, where no one has ever been before. While others believe he was sent from Heaven to punish mankind for their sins, or he arose from Hell to cover the world in flames.'_

The dragon released a strong stream of hot air from his nostrils, which melted the ice projectiles instantly. Not deterred, Esdeath did an upward hand motion, which caused a large spike of ice to pop out of the ground and strike the Dragon's side. However it did little damage as the ice merely shattered against the dragon's scales.

' _Destruction and death was all that awaited for its enemies. Even the mightiest of warriors and strongest of Danger Beasts fled whenever it was spotted. The flames the dragon released were said to be as hot as the sun itself and merciless as the fires of Hell. Many tried to defeat it but none had ever succeeded.'_

A large claw thrust forward straight towards Esdeath at an impressive speed. The General had no time to dodge so she created a wall of ice to block the attack. Unfortunately the dragon's claws smashed the wall into pieces, the force causing Esdeath to fly backwards. She managed to recover but Esdeath saw that the dragon was gone. Confused she barely had time to react when a shadow engulfed her. Turning her head Esdeath was shocked to see the large red dragon now behind her. Clearly it was faster than it appeared. She tried to dodge an oncoming strike but was not quick enough. The dragon's claw struck her back, leaving a single large gash on her porcelain skin. Esdeath managed to bite down a scream and covered the wound with ice so it wouldn't bleed out. She also had multiple bruises covering her body now and her uniform was slightly torn but that did not stop Esdeath. For despite the pain, she was far too lost in the heat of battle, and the joy of finding a worthy opponent finally appearing.

' _It went by many names: The Dragon of Destruction, Progenitor of Danger Beast, The Crimson Scourge of Man, The Demonic Dragon, and Danger Beast Emperor. Many worship it as a god, even today. However only one name sticks out from all of them. It's rather a simple name but it does suit the beast.'_

The campsite was in flames, smoke and fire all around them. There were no other living beings besides herself and the Dragon. But this did not even seem to faze Esdeath as she swiftly created a pillar of ice under her feet, shooting herself upwards and towards the Dragon's face. But said creature simply swung its tail and smashed the pillar into pieces. In return Esdeath performed an impressive jump as the pillar fell apart. Now above the dragon she performed one of her stronger techniques.

"Hagelsprung!" She cried and suddenly a gigantic ball of ice appeared in the air, directly above the Dragon. Using incredible strength, Esdeath threw the ball of ice down towards the red Dragon. The projectile greatly dwarfed the creature, however the Dragon did not look the least bit intimidated. Instead it raised its right hand and covered it in flames. With a roar the dragon rammed its flame coated fist into the ice, smashing it to pieces instantly.

Esdeath managed to land safely a few feet away but was out of breath. The last few minutes of fighting the dragon were some of the intense moments of her life. She had several cuts, bruises and burns on her body, courtesy of the dragon's flames and overwhelming strength. Worse the heat it was emitting was hampering her Teigu's powers, making her use more stamina then she normally would in order to create ice. Despite that it did nothing to decrease the joy and excitement she was feeling at the moment. For as long as Esdeath could remember, no one has ever been able to fight her on even terms, let alone hurt her. However this dragon was overwhelming her easily and it barely looked like it was trying.

"You truly are worthy of your title." Esdeath murmured before she summoned one last wave of icicles. However it appeared that the dragon had enough and decided to end things. Flames could be seen building up in its chest. Seeing that, Esdeath immediately fired her attack just as the dragon released another breath of flames. The flames melted her attack and just as they were about to reach her, Esdeath remembered the last part of the story her father told her.

' _The sole Supreme-Class Danger Beast, END'_

 **And there is the first chapter! I'm sorry it was kind of short, but I just wanted to do the introduction of END/Natsu first and demonstrate his new power. Be sure to leave a review and in case any of you are wondering this takes place sometime after Tatsumi joins Night Raid but clearly before Esdeath returns to the Capital.**

 **As I said before, be sure to review!**

 **Wacko12**


	2. Meeting the Assassins

**First I like to say thanks to all the reviews I got on the first chapter. I hope you enjoy this second one. Also we'll be seeing the reaction from everyone upon hearing the incident between Esdeath and END/Natsu. Be sure to review!**

 **(Night Raid Headquarter, Several Days After Esdeath's Camp Was Attacked)**

The assassination group of the Revolutionary Army, Night Raid, was currently meeting right now in the main room. Najenda, a silver haired beauty with an eyepatch and prosthetic arm, former Empire General and leader of Night Raid, was sitting in her usual spot, smoking on a cigar. Around her were the members of Night Raid: Akame, a black haired, red eye young girl and one of their strongest members. Bulat, a tall muscular man with a heart-shaped pompadour and former soldier of the Empire. Leone, a young buxom blonde with revealing clothing. Sheele, a young klutzy but deadly woman with long purple hair and glasses. Mine, a short, petite young girl with long pink hair tied into ponytails on both sides of her head. Lubbock, a young man with green hair and wearing goggles. And finally the most recent member to Night Raid, Tatsumi, a young man with brown hair and green eyes.

"The reason why I called you all here because I have just received some startling news from HQ, regarding General Esdeath." Najenda explained, her wound wincing a bit at the name of the woman who took her eye.

The atmosphere in the room became grim. Any news related to the Empire's strongest was almost never good. Even Tatsumi, who had just learned of this woman, knew that she was bad news. It was Bulat who broke the silence. "What about her? She's head towards the North to subdue the Northern Tribes correct?"

"That's what we learned originally. But according to these reports her army's camp was attacked and promptly destroyed. Both they and Esdeath are currently missing." Najenda explained. And she soon received the reaction she was expecting; her subordinates had shocked looks on their faces followed by voices yelling out at the same time.

"What?! How is that possible? No more importantly, who could be crazy enough to attack Esdeath and her army?" Mine demanded.

"Do we have confirmation of her death?" Akame asked. If Esdeath was dead, this would be a great boost of morale for the Revolutionary Army and greatly demoralize the Empire.

"Unfortunately we neither know if she is dead or alive." Najenda replied. "As for who or more like what, attacked her, was a Danger Beast. And if our scouts are accurate, it was the Supreme-Class Danger Beast, END."

"END?!" Tatsumi cried out in surprise and a hint of fear. "Are you serious? As in the Danger Beast Emperor END? I thought it was just a myth?"

The rest of Night Raid also had surprised looks on their faces…well except for Mine who just appeared confused. "Eh? Who is this END? I never heard of him." She said before looking at Tatsumi. "Probably something only a country bumpkin knows of." She added earning a glare from Tatsumi.

"Actually I heard of it too, back from my time as an Imperial Assassin." Akame commented, earning a surprise look from Mine.

"A lot of the old hags and geezers from the slums tell stories of the thing." Leone said.

"It's mentioned in a lot of books related to the Empire, especially historical ones." Lubbock revealed.

"END is a popular story among the armies, both the Empire and the Revolutionary Army." Bulat explained, a nod from Najenda backing it up.

"Well I never heard of END." Sheele, but everyone knew she probably forgot.

Mine had a depress aura over her head as she realized she was the only one who didn't know (Sheele didn't count). Meanwhile Tatsumi appeared quite smug since it was payback for her comment earlier and from last night when he didn't know about Zank the Executioner after the guy appeared in the Capital.

Deciding to explain the story of END to the members that didn't know, Najenda began. "As you know, Danger Beasts are unique creatures and are usually a danger to society, hence the name. There are classifications for Danger Beasts to represent their threat level, with the weakest to strongest being Delta, Gamma, Beta and Alpha-class respectively. Above Alpha-class is Ultra-class, Danger Beasts so powerful that you would have to be insane to go up against them. Many Teigus were constructed from the bodies of Ultra-class Danger Beasts. There is also supposedly another class above that one called Zenith-Class, with little information on those types except they are stronger than Ultra-class. However legends has it that at the top of the food chain of Danger Beasts is Supreme-Class, Danger Beasts that could be considered the incarnate of natural disasters or even gods. And the only one to occupying that class is END, a gigantic dragon whose flames are so hot it is equal to the sun. It is also theorized that END is the progenitor of all Danger Beasts." Najenda explained.

"Legend also says that 1,000 years ago, when the Empire was still young, END appeared and attacked. It took the combine effort of all original 48 Teigu wielders to simply drive it away. In fact its image is used as the Empire's symbol, as a testament that the Empire reigns over all other nations. There are also many cults that worship END too." Bulat added.

Silence took over the room as everyone digested the information. Finally Tatsumi broke the silence. "So…what will this mean for us? The Revolutionary Army that is?" He asked.

Najenda took out her cigar and let out a sigh. "Well with Esdeath's disappearance, this will allow the Northern Tribes to fully prepare themselves. Their Prince, Numa Seika, will most likely see this as a perfect chance to assault the Empire and if we're lucky, they'll attack the same time as the Western Army and our own forces do, effectively surrounding the Empire's Capital. Plus moral amongst the Empire's forces will probably lower, throwing the capital into chaos and quicken our forces advance with fewer casualties. However we must still remain vigilant as we do not fully know of her fate. Plus we will still be taking in assassination jobs so remain on your toes, understood?" She said.

"Yes boss!" Everyone replied at once.

 **KA-BOOM!**

At the large explosion, everyone literally jumped up in surprise. The ceiling of the room shook a bit from the rumble of the explosion too. "W-what the hell?!" Leone cried as she tried to balance herself.

"Are we under attack?" Tatsumi asked.

Being the quickest to recover, Akame made a dash to the nearest window to check out the action. When she got to one, she saw a large pillar of smoke rising up from the forest, only five miles away from the hideout. "I see the location of the explosion." She reported as the others joined her.

"That's in my security perimeter! How the hell did my wires not pick up on it?" Lubbock asked.

"Do you think its more spies?" Leone asked Najenda.

"Hard to say. If it were spies they wouldn't have much such a noise. Either way we have to confirm. All of you head out to that location to see who or what we're dealing with. Do not engage until you've confirmed whether or not it's a threat. I'll remain here to fire the signal flare in case this is a distraction." Najenda ordered, receiving nods from the others.

 **(Meanwhile)**

Deep within the forest, a certain area was covered in broken trees, deep craters within the ground and multiple scorch spots everywhere. There were also puddles of blood and scratch marks too, a sign that two beings were fighting to the death in this area. However the victor could be seen in the center of the carnage, standing next to a fire place with the corpse of a large wolf-type danger beast held above it.

Said victor was a young man with a lean muscular build with a slight tan skin tone. He had spiky pink hair and onyx eyes. His attire consisted of a simple sleeveless black shirt, white trousers held by a brown belt with a golden buckle and long black boots. Wrapped around his right shoulder was a bandage, wristbands on both arms, and around his neck was a white scale scarf along with a long tattered black cloak with a hood attached. Finally around his neck was a chain that had what appeared to be a broken golden key attached. The young man happily took a chunk of meet from the well-cooked corpse and began chowing down on it. The man quickly finished it off before moving onto the next piece.

In just a few short minutes the man was down to the last bit of meat, leaving nothing but a pile of bones of the wolf. As he was chewing on it, he suddenly paused and his eyes widened before quickly narrowing. Still munching on the meat, the young man slowly stood up and faced the bushes behind him. "Okay I know you're there. I can smell you from here." He said as he took another bite of meat. However before he could sink his teeth into it, Bulat, wearing his Teigu Armor Incursio, suddenly appeared behind him and delivered a powerful punch to the young man's right cheek. The impact caused dust to pick up as the area went silent.

"Heh, I've been greeted a lot worse." Bulat's eyes widened at the pinkette's composed comment. The young man had not even moved an inch from Bulat's punch. Said assassin jumped back a safe distance and analyzed the young man, who was still casually eating the meat.

' _That punch had enough force to knock a grown man out cold instantly. Yet this guy barely looks fazed.'_ Bulat thought as he stared at the young man through his mask. "You're quite tough. Got a name." Bulat asked as he tried to think of how to approach this.

"Natsu. Natsu Dragneel. What's yours?" Natsu asked as he kept chewing on the meat.

"The name is Bulat. Though you can call me handsome." Bulat responded. Underneath his mask, his eyes shifted towards where the others were hiding.

"Uh huh." Natsu said as he finished the meat. Tossing the bone up and down, he then asked, "And what about your friends hiding in the trees and bushes? Are they going to come out and introduce themselves?"

Bulat frowned, now knowing that this Natsu character was quite skilled to be able to detect several experienced assassins. Seeing no more reason to hide, Leone, Akame, Lubbock, Sheele and Tatsumi jumped out of their hiding spots and immediately joined Bulat in surrounding Natsu, all of them minus the latter having their Teigus out and ready. Mine was somewhere further back, perched on top of a cliff, overlooking the scene with her gun Teigu Pumpkin.

"Looks like an interesting person has appeared in our turf." Leone commented as she got into a stance, Lionelle already activated.

"Be careful he's no weakling. He was able to resist one of my punches with ease." Bulat said.

"He might be a spy for the Empire. We should capture him or if nothing else, kill him." Akame suggested. The moment she finished that sentence, Akame was struck head on by a powerful force. She had no time to react as she was sent flying backwards crashing into several trees.

The rest gaped at what just happened. Shifting their gaze from the prone form of Akame, towards Natsu who had a fist raised in the same direction, they tried to make sense of what just happened. Bulat was the first one to realize that Natsu's punch had been so strong and fast, that he fired powerful burst of air pressure, which promptly struck Akame from a distance. To be able to do that, let alone catch someone as skilled as Akame by surprise, this person was no weakling.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to affiliate me with that wretched place." Natsu muttered but still loud enough to hear. Heat could be felt radiating off of him, causing the others to become cautious of what he might do next.

However it was Lubbock who made the first move. Using his Teigu, Cross Tail, unleashed a wave of wires onto Natsu. However the pinkette merely raised his left arm, allowing the wires to wrap around it. "Ha! Looks like you're not very bright are you-AAAAAHHHHH!" Lubbock's sentence was cut off as Natsu pulled on the wires hard, which in turn caused Lubbock to be pulled in as well. The rest of Night Raid watched in surprise, and a bit of embarrassment as Natsu began twirling the green haired youth like a flail.

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE! HELP ME!" Lubbock cried. As if answering his pleas, Natsu released Lubbock, causing the wires around his arm to loosen as the wielder went flying. Lubbock flew straight into an unprepared Tatsumi, causing both young men to go tumbling backwards in one large jumbled mess.

"Well that was pretty boring, though entertaining." Natsu commented before facing the last three. "Anyone else?"

Receiving a silent signal from Bulat, Sheele charged in, her scissor-Teigu, Extase, at the ready. Bulat also went in, summoning his spear, Neunote, into his hand. Leone hanged back, waiting for an opportunity to arise while Mine was looking through her scope, waiting for a clear shot to come. At the same time Akame began to recover from the surprise attack, her clothes slightly singed from the pressurized heated air that struck her.

Sheele raised Extase and prepared to cut Natsu in half. However he simply dodged it by jumping into the air, an unimpressed look on his face. He then landed behind her and delivered a devastating kick to the side. The impact caused Sheele to lose her balance and hit the ground hard. "You shouldn't run with scissors. There's a chance you might poke someone's eye out, or even your own." Natsu commented plainly looking at Sheele. He didn't even turn away as he easily caught Neunote with his hand.

"What…" Was all Bulat could say before Natsu delivered a powerful punch to the man's stomach. The punch was strong enough to leave a dent in Incursio and send the man flying, crashing into a rock. Steam could be seen from the area on the armor that Natsu hit. The pinkette quickly dodged another swing from Sheele before delivering a swift chop to the girl's neck, knocking her out cold. "Why don't you take a nap?" Natsu said as he gently laid Sheele's prone form on the ground.

"How dare you do that to Sheele?!" Lubbock cried, having untangled himself from Tatsumi. The green haired young man wrapped his wires around Natsu's leg and pulled on tightly, thus trapping him in his place.

"Nice going Lubbock!" Leone, who was standing on the sidelines, shouted. She swiftly appeared behind Natsu, fists raised. "Now time for this big sis to teach you some manners-"

 **BA-DUMP**

Leone let out a gasp as she saw the brief image of Natsu's eyes turning red, black markings appearing all over his body, and a large dragon made out of flames standing above him. She instinctively jumped back away from Natsu, landing on all fours. Cold sweat could be seen pouring down her face and body as she stared at Natsu with wide eyes, filled with unhidden fear and confusion. _'W-what the hell was that?! For some reason my instincts were screaming that if I tried to attack him, I would be a goner!'_ Leone thought as she stared at the bored looking face of the pinkette. Despite his non-threatening appearance, Leone's animal instincts were going haywire, telling her, no, yelling at her that the man in front of her was the most dangerous being alive. The fear that was covering Leone was enough to make her oblivious to everything else, even her friends' voices.

She was brought back into reality when Mine fired a beam of energy from Pumpkin straight towards Natsu's head. But he surprised them once again as he deflected the shot with his _bare_ hand. Despite being a concentrated beam of spiritual energy, it appeared to have done nothing more than annoyed Natsu as he located Mine's position. Taking a deep breath, he released a large ball of fire straight towards the sniper.

"What the hell?!" She cried as the large projectile got closer. Unable to think of any better ideas, Mine jumped off the cliff just as the fire projectile struck where she once stood, destroying the cliff edge in an instant. Mine meanwhile managed to slow her fall by shooting multiple energy bullets downwards before crashing into several trees below.

"Well that was interesting." Natsu commented as he burned off the wires around his ankles, much to the surprise of Lubbock. "But I think I will be going now. See ya!" He said to the conscious members of Night Raid.

"You're not going anywhere!" Tatsumi yelled as he charged forward, sword raised. Akame and Bulat had also recovered and joined the brunette in a three prong attack. But just as they were about to reach him, flames appeared beneath Natsu's feet. He propelled himself up into the air, causing the three Night Raid members to crash into each other. They all watched as Natsu flew through the sky and out of sight.

The area was filled with silence for a while until it was broken by a disgruntle Mine, who joined the others while covered with leaves and dirt. "Did that just happened?! Tell me that didn't just fucking happened!" Mine shouted in hysteria while waving Pumpkin wildly.

"Well that was…interesting." Lubbock commented as he rolled up his wires, grimacing at the slight burns on them. "Who or what the hell was that guy?"

"I, I have no idea. All I know is that guy was way out of our league." Leone commented. She had finally calmed down and deactivated her Teigu. "My animal instincts were sending warning messages all over the board that he was someone we did not want to fight."

"I have to agree with you there." Bulat said. He deactivated Incursio and was currently nursing the bruise forming on his stomach, courtesy of Natsu's punch. Meanwhile Tatsumi was trying wake up Sheele while Akame was staring at the sky where Natsu had flown off. "He was definitely not normal. I felt heat around his fists when he punched me. It is possible that he might have a Teigu on him."

"Whatever or whoever he is, I think we can say that he is not with the Empire." Akame stated to the others. "The way he reacted when I mentioned about him being a possible spy for them shows that he is not fond of the Empire at all."

"That doesn't really confirm he's an ally either though." Tatsumi said as he finally managed to awaken Sheele. "So what do we do now?"

"For now we should inform the boss of this and hopefully we won't have to worry about any uninvited guests." Bulat replied, earning nods of agreement from the others as they slowly made their way back to the hideout.

 **(The Next Day: Empire's Capital)**

Just as Najenda had predicted, Esdeath's disappearance did indeed have a negative impact on the capital and its forces. Furthermore the appearance of the legendary Danger Beast, END, only worsen the situation. Many people feared of its wrath and worse, taking its anger out on the capital. Citizens, especially the nobility, were having thoughts of fleeing the capital if END truly did come to destroy them. The Imperial Guards were working overtime of keeping the peace though even some of them were having doubts of staying in the capital.

Meanwhile in the Imperial Palace, the higher ups were conversing with one another in a rather panic style of this current situation. Many of these politics and other officials were aligned with the Prime Minister for their own personal ambitions or merely tried to save their own necks. Currently there was a meeting taking place in the council hall of government officials, with Prime Minister Honest and Emperor Makoto also present.

"Has there still been no word of Esdeath's whereabouts?" One person asked.

"We've dispatched scouts to search possible areas where she might have taken refugee after the destruction of her army. However it's become difficult due to the increasing presence of hostile Northern forces." Another said.

"Many cities in the Empire have also reported multiple riots. However it seems that while most are due to the absence of General Esdeath, others are out of fear of END's wrath." A third government official reported.

"To think that the mythical Supreme Danger Beast actually exists…"

"Enough about worrying about some monster! What matters is that Esdeath has vanished and now nothing is stopping the Northern Tribes from continuing to amass power! The rebels will no doubt use this to their advantage, especially Night Raid! They have killed numerous high ranking officials, both government and military and have retrieved several Teigu and gained an increase of support as well as multiple former officers defecting from the army!"

"We still have Great General Budo and his Imperial Guards here to protect the palace."

"But if the Northern Tribes, Western Nation and Revolutionary Army attack us at the same time…"

As the officials were talking with one another, Makoto could only watch in grim silence at how the situation was developing. Beside him, Honest was stuffing his face with a dish of exotic meat, not giving a care in the world. He paused when he noticed the young Emperor's discontent he decided to speak in order to get the idiots to cease their talking.

"Gentlemen I believe that all this grim talk is upsetting his majesty." Immediately the others shut up, knowing better than to do something that was against what the Prime Minister said was basically signing a death warrant. "Over the matter of General Esdeath, I do not think there is much to fret over. She is not known as the Empire's Strongest for nothing. I have full confidence that she is alive and is most likely making her way back to the capital. Once she returns the morale of the soldiers' will be restored and we'll crush both Night Raid, the Revolutionary Army and anyone else that dares stand against us."

"That's right! We must have faith in General Esdeath! If anyone could survive such a disaster then she surely would." Makoto said, inspired by Honest's words.

While the others did not seem fully convinced, they let the matter concerning Esdeath slide. Though it seemed that there were still concerns towards the other issue. "B-but what about END? Surely the return of the Supreme Danger Beast, who has not been seen since a thousand years ago is a bad omen…" One man said but was cut off by Honest.

"END is just that, a beast, a savage overgrown reptilian animal. While even I have to admit that its existence shocked me, it is after all nothing more than a beast. The chances of it attacking a random settlement of humans, even the Revolutionary Army, is more possible than attacking the capital. I am sure we have nothing to fear from that lizard."

 **(Elsewhere)**

"HACHOO!" Natsu sneezed loudly from his spot above a pile of bandits. After getting away from Night Raid, he had accidentally run into a large group of bandits. When they noticed the broken golden key, the only connection to the Etherious' past life, Natsu made short work of them and left them as charred corpses.

However now with all the sneezing Natsu could only think of one possible explanation. "Someone must be talking about me." He muttered as he made his way towards the Capital, curious to see how much it changed over the past one thousand years.

 **(Later that Night)**

Mine and Sheele were running through the empty park, their respective Teigus strapped over their shoulders after they completed another successful assassination.

"That Chibul guy was way too wary of attacks." Mine complained.

"But in the end, it didn't cause too many problems." Sheele stated.

The two continued running until the warning bells in their heads went off. Immediately they jumped out of the way as someone crashed where the two assassins once stood. Mine and Sheele regrouped as the dust settled, revealing a young girl with long auburn hair tied into a ponytail and wearing the Imperial Guard uniform. Besides her was a small odd looking dog.

' _I didn't even detect her presence!'_ Mine commented with a curse.

' _She's clearly different from the other Imperial Guards.'_ Sheele thought.

The auburn girl pulled out a wanted poster with Sheele's face and studied it. "I knew it…it's the same face as the one on the wanted poster. You are definitely Sheele of Night Raid! And judging from the Teigu in the other girl's hand, she's also a member of Night Raid!" The girl began as a wicked smile formed on her face. "I've finally tracked you down, Night Raid!"

A massive amount of killing intent began to radiate from the girl, causing Sheele and Mine to tense at the bloodlust. The girl pointed a finger towards the two assassins, a demented face forming. Imperial Guard Forces, Seryu Ubiquitous! In the name of justice, I will make you evildoers pay right here and now!" She declared as the dog began to growl, revealing rows of sharp canine teeth.

A few minutes later Natsu could be seen walking through the park with a carefree attitude. However a loud whistling sound, followed by explosions and screams caught his attention. Sniffing the air Natsu frowned as he recognized three out of four scents. Two he had just recently met while one he hadn't smell in a long time. A frown on his face, Natsu dashed towards where the action was coming, just as he heard a female voice shouting, "KORO! BERSERKER!" Followed by a loud roar that nearly caused Natsu to go deaf. But he brushed it off.

When he finally arrived, Natsu assessed the current situation. It was indeed two members of Night Raid facing against an Imperial Guard and a Biological Teigu. The purple haired girl with the Extase was slowly overwhelming the Imperial Guard while the pink haired sniper had just been grabbed by the teigu, which Natsu recognized as Hekatonkheires, or Koro as it was apparently called. Without even thinking about it, Natsu shot forward, body covered in flames and pierced through the teigu's body, leaving a gaping hole in it. The blow did not kill Koro, since Natsu did not hit is core, but it was enough to cause the massive Teigu to release Mine, whom was swiftly grabbed by Natsu and brought a safe distance away.

"Y-you…" Mine stuttered as she recognized her savior as the same guy who fought and soundly defeated her and her teammates yesterday.

"I never expected to see you again mutt." Natsu said, ignoring Mine as he focused on Koro, who had already regenerated. His eyes were hidden by his bangs. "For you to be out right now, I guess the Empire has fallen a lot more than I thought."

Koro growled and let out a roar, preparing to charge towards Natsu and Mine. The latter cursed as she realized she would not be able to reach Pumpkin in time. Plus with her arm broken she would not be able to aim properly. But before Koro could even reach them, it froze as an incredible amount of power began to leak out of Natsu. The pressure was so great it blew out of him like a gust of wind, kicking up dust and causing the leaves to fly and the trees to creak as they tried not to fall under the force. Even Sheele and Seryu, the latter having been prepared to shoot the former, paused as they felt the immense aura of what could only be described of incredible anger.

Koro suffered the worse. The large Biological Teigu was shaking, from what Mine could tell. Its eyes were wide and filled with fear as it stared at Natsu. "Seeing you has made me a bit pissed off." The Dragneel began as he raised his head. Already his body was covered with demonic black markings. And his eyes had changed from onyx to blood red with black slit pupils, glaring at the trembling Koro. A flame-like aura was covering Natsu's body as he continued. "Perhaps I should burn you?"

And that was Koro's cue. The dog-like Teigu, now completely terrified, not only by Natsu's intimidating aura, but memories of seeing him over a thousand years ago, immediately fled, much to a dumbfounded Mine's shock. The large teigu jumped over a confused Sheele, and grabbed Seryu and ran as far away as it could, ignoring Seryu's objections.

"K-Koro, what are you doing?!" Seryu cried as she tried to break free but to no avail. Koro was still absolutely terrified of seeing Natsu. "We haven't killed the evildoers yet! We need to deliver justice! Stop! Koro!"

Once the two were out of sight, Natsu's markings and flame aura vanished, with his eyes returning to normal. Now completely calm he prepared to walk away when a voice stopped him.

"Hold it!" Mine shouted, getting Natsu's attention. The sniper was finally on her legs and was holding Pumpkin with her good arm. "Why the hell did you save me, even after we attacked you yesterday? And how the fuck did you scare away that giant Teigu?! What or who are you?" She kept questioning and demanding as Sheele approached her, in order to help Mine steady herself.

Natsu was silent for a moment, not facing the two Night Raid members. Finally after what felt like an eternity, he spoke. "My name is Natsu Dragneel. As for why I helped you, are reasons you do not need to know. And to answer your last question…I am a monster." And with that he disappeared in a burst of flame, startling Mine and Sheele. Their surprise did not last long though as they remembered that they were not safe at the moment, so they immediately headed back to the base.

 **(Early Morning)**

As the sun rose up into the sky, people were still fast asleep minus a few who had to get up early for work as well as the Imperial Guards. The guards at the palace were still awake, remaining vigilant of any signs of attack. However four figures on horses, trotting through the streets towards the palace, caught their attention.

"Halt! Who goes there?" A guard asked as the four figures continued their approach. The lead figure removed their hood, revealing their long blue hair, matching blue eyes with their sharp gaze and the general hat on their head. In response the guard and his colleagues gasped when they recognized the person before them.

"Inform the Emperor and Prime Minister! General Esdeath has returned!"

 **And done!**

 **So what did you think of chapter 2? Now you know a little bit more of Natsu's connection with the Empire and also Esdeath has returned too. I hoped you all don't mind that I spared Sheele. Anyway be sure to leave lots of reviews!**

 **Wacko12**


	3. Natsu Dragneel Bio

**This is a bio of Natsu Dragneel. It is basically just a quick piece of information of himself and his powers. Anyway be sure to review and speaking of reviews, for some reason I can't seem to be able to read the reviews past the 12** **th** **one. Is anyone else having that problem?**

 **Name:** Natsu Dragneel

 **Alias:** Etherious Natsu Dragneel (END), Salamander, Great Demon Lord Dragneel, Supreme Danger Beast, Danger Beast Emperor, God of Demons, Dragon of Destruction, Demonic Dragon, Crimson Scourge of Man, and Progenitor of Danger Beasts

 **Gender:** Male

 **Species:** Etherious, Formerly Human

 **Age:** Unknown

 **Appearance:** Salomon-colored spiky hair, dark onyx eyes that turned red when enraged, lightly tanned skin and lean muscular build. Above average height, wears a plain sleeveless black shirt, white trousers held by a brown belt with a golden buckle and long black boots. A bandage wrapped around his right shoulder, wristbands on both arms, Igneel's white scale scarf wrapped around his neck and a long tattered black cloak with a hood attached, and a chain around his neck with Aquarius's broken key attached.

 **Relations:** Lucy Heartfillia (Lover/Deceased), Unnamed Parents (Deceased), Igneel (Foster Father/Deceased), Zeref Dragneel (Older Brother/Unknown), August (Nephew/Deceased)

 **Affiliations:** Fairy Tail (Formerly), Path of Peace (Loosely), Himself

 **Abilities:**

 **Fire Dragon Slayer Magic  
**

 **Purgatory Curse  
**

 **Dragon Form  
**

 **Etherious Form  
**

 **Telepathy**

 **Enhanced Intelligence**

 **Immense Strength**

 **Immense Speed**

 **Immense Durability**

 **Immense Endurance**

 **Immense Reflexes**

 **Supernatural Senses**

 **Supernatural Regeneration**

 **Anyway hope you like this. I am not going into detail of each ability or the extent of their power since that would take too long and I rather just let you guys imagine it. Also it saves me the trouble of having to change it all the time if a new idea comes up.**

 **Wack12**


	4. Prologue of Change

**Well here is chapter 4! Please be sure to review!**

 **(Imperial Palace)**

Esdeath's return had immediately roused Honest and Makoto from their slumber as they quickly summoned the General and her Three Beasts to the throne room. Messengers had already been sent out to other areas of the Empire to spread the word of the Empire's Strongest' return, in order to moralize the Empire soldiers and reestablish order amongst the citizens. Honest also predicted it would give the Northern and Western Forces pause in any possible attacks, as well as make the Revolutionary Army cautious too.

"We're very glad to see you in one piece General Esdeath." Makoto began as he sat on his throne. Honest was beside him and as usual was eating a piece of red meat.

Before them was a kneeling Esdeath with her Three Beasts behind them. The three appeared a bit bruised up, with some bandages covering their faces but besides that appeared okay. Esdeath herself looked perfectly fine, wounds she had sustained had healed into scars, which had faded completely now. However hidden behind her hair, was a large scar going down her back, left behind by END's claws. The doctors had done their best to hide it but Esdeath made them stop, she was not ashamed to show a scar such as that. It was after all, a testament to the fact that Esdeath faced END and survived. It also served as an inspiration and a reminder that there was someone else stronger than her, someone that could give Esdeath a true challenge, even if it was a Danger Beast.

"I was lucky your majesty, had I not moved quickly, I might not be here right now." Esdeath said. Truth was that during the moment where the flames were just about to reach her, Esdeath had somehow managed to reach a new level of her Teigu's power and freeze time. The duration of the frozen time was short, but enough for her to get out of path of the flames. But she had used up a lot of energy and was close to losing conscious. It was only thanks to the loyalty to her Three Beasts, who had stayed behind to help her, Esdeath would have been lying in the snow of the North right now.

"I also apologize that I was not able to subdue the Northern armies as ordered." Esdeath replied while she had her hat pressed against her breast.

"Yes, well while that is unfortunate, we are happy to have you back General. Your presence in the capital will help inspire our soldiers to fight. Though I must ask what became of your army." Makoto asked.

"They are currently resting near the northern border of the Empire. Myself and my Three Beasts came went ahead to inform you of our status." Esdeath explained. "However because of END's sudden and brutal attack, out of the 10,000 soldiers I commanded, only 500 survived."

Honest internally grimaced. To have gone from 10,000 strong to 500 was not a good thing. And this was Esdeath's army they were talking about. She commanded some of the best soldiers in the Empire, with the Imperial Guards under Budo's command being their equal. The Revolutionary Army and other forces would most certainly take advantage of the decrease in skilled soldiers to advance on the Empire's borders towards the capital. It would be quite some time until Esdeath could refill her army with new soldiers and that was if they meet her expectations.

"Well we were prepared to give you 10,000 gold pieces as a reward for conquering the Northern Tribes, but I suppose it could be given to your soldiers as well as the families of those who were killed by END." Makoto said.

"Thank you your majesty, I shall be sure to let them know that." Esdeath responded.

"Now even though you just returned from such a horrific event, I'm afraid we still need your services." Makoto began. "An atrocious group known as Night Raid has been running rampant around the capital. I wish you to find them and purge them from my city."

"I understand your majesty, however I have heard that the group consists of warriors who use Teigu. And it takes a teigu to defeat a teigu. So I must request for a six man team of teigu users in order to combat Night Raid." Esdeath asked.

Makoto seemed unsure about that, likely not very comfortable about the idea of having so many teigu users in the palace. However a reassuring nod from Honest erased those worries. "Very well, we will give you the six teigu users you desire. I trust in you to rid us of Night Raid once and for all." Makoto said.

"Thank you your Majesty. I assure you, Night Raid will be eliminated." Esdeath responded.

"I still feel as if we should give you something else. Even if you were unable to subdue the Northern Tribes, your past successes earn you a reward. Name it and it will be yours." Makoto said.

Esdeath was silent for a moment. She then looked up to Makoto with a smile on her face. "Actually there was something your majesty. For some time I have been thinking of trying to be in love."

Both Makoto and Honest paused, trying to comprehend what they just heard. For Esdeath, one of the most sadistic people in the world, to say she was interested in love, was impossible. Makoto was the first to recover. "Th-That's right! You are of marriageable age and yet have not married!" He said as he put his fist into his open palm in realization.

"But the General surrounds herself with those who adore, does she not?" Honest asked as he finally realized he did not mishear things.

"Those are 'pets'." Esdeath replied. "I have a list of the criteria written here." She pulled out a scroll from her uniform. "Please let me know if you find anyone who fits the specifications."

"Very well we shall keep an eye out and let you know." Makoto replied before dismissing the General.

Sometime later Esdeath and Honest could be seen walking through the palace garden. The two were currently conversing about Esdeath's desire for love. "It's quite strange. Up till now I have only desired carnage and warfare. Even I do not understand where these feelings come from." Esdeath commented.

' _Talking about things such as love really don't suit her at all.'_ Honest thought as he said. "Well you are a living being. I suppose it was only natural for you to desire the opposite sex. Though to be honest I always thought you were a bit slow in that area."

Esdeath hummed. "Hmm, perhaps it's a bestial instinct." Than her eyes narrowed. "Or maybe being close to death's embrace made me suddenly desire love?"

Honest frowned, it was the first time he ever heard Esdeath speak about dying. "For you to say something like that, and the scar on your back, that dragon must've given you one heck of a fight." The Prime Minister commented.

Esdeath chuckled. "I would not call it a fight. I could tell that END was not taking me seriously. At the very least, he saw me as a nuisance. It was both annoying and an eye opener that there are beings in this world who can overpower me. And I did learn somethings about my Teigu that I am most eager to try out later." She finished with a malicious smile.

"I feel sorry for the fool who comes on the receiving end of that." Honest commented. "Speaking of Teigus I feel that six of them might be a bit difficult don't you think?" He asked.

"But you'll do it anyway, right?" Esdeath asked in return, a dark glint in her eyes.

In response the Prime Minister formed a malicious smirk and with the horned crown, made him look exactly like a devil. "Of course, granted you can make certain annoyances…disappear?"

 **(The Next Day, with Night Raid)**

Najenda and the rest of Night Raid stared at Sheele and Mine, the latter having her broken arm held in a cast. "So basically you two were confronted by a biological Teigu and its user and just as Mine was about to be crushed, that Natsu fellow you mentioned before saved your ass. And then the Teigu suddenly became scared while staring at him and fled, taking its master with it. Did I summarize that correctly?" Najenda asked.

It had been a day since Mine and Sheele had returned. The two had rested though Mine had to have her arm checked before they could explain what had transpired in the capital. Of course they had to ensure that no one followed them as well as tightened up security around their hideout, especially since they lost contact with their local team, leaving the assumption that they were dead. Once that was done did Mine and Sheele began explaining about what transpired a day ago. Needless the say, the events had left Night Raid rather confused towards the subject of the mysterious pink haired young man.

"I swear all he did was stare at the Teigu, and the overgrown mutt was sweating bullets, like it was looking at a demon or something." Min commented. "Then it bolted, taking that nutcase with it too."

"I wonder why he came to save you." Bulat mused. "Since we attacked him, he didn't have any reason to help you guys. What happened to make him help?"

"It sounded like he knew the Teigu or something, and he seemed pretty angry." Sheele commented. "Perhaps an old grudge or something?"

"Whether or not it was a grudge, the questions is what do we do now?" Tatsumi asked. "He's basically a wild card since we do not know who he is affiliated with. And we don't know where he is either."

It was then that Akame spoke. "Maybe we should recruit him." Akame suddenly suggested with a straight face.

Everyone minus Najenda stared at the red eye assassin as if she was insane. The leader of Night Raid appeared to be considering the idea. "Oi, Akame not to be rude but are you crazy? I don't think that Natsu guy will want to join a group that had tried to kill him not to long ago." Lubbock said.

"He did not kill us even though he could have." Akame said. "Also from how he reacted when I accused him of being an Imperial spy, it seems he holds hatred towards the Empire. If he could take us all on with ease, scare off a biological Teigu by just looking at it, then he would be a valuable asset."

Najenda was the next to speak, getting everyone's attention. "Akame brings up a good point. This Natsu character would make a valuable ally if we could find him and convince him to join." She said. "But for now we have more important things to bring up. I've just received word from our spies that Esdeath and her Three Beasts have returned to the capital, while the remnants of her army were licking their wounds near the Empire's northern borders after END's attack."

The room had gone dead silent at the news. While some of them were hoping that Esdeath had been killed, they knew better than to keep their hopes up. "Well I guess that should have been expected. That woman is a monster after all." Bulat commented.

"Indeed." Najenda said, having a flashback of when Esdeath took her right arm and eye. "However we do not know what she is up too or what she is doing now. Either way her presence in the capital will cause trouble for us. Leone, if possible, try to scout her out and observe her movements."

"Roger that boss!" Leone said cheerfully. "I always wanted to know what type of person she is."

Najenda stared at Leone. "She's a homicidal maniac who enjoys slaughter. Be on your guard." She ordered.

"Yeah, yeah" The blonde replied with a mischievous grin. _'And then, I'll be a good person and take her out when I have the chance. The extremely sadistic general known as the Empire's strongest…taking her out would have the same impact as killing the Prime Minister!'_

"Along with that some more bad news has come up. Apparently there have been a string of murders, the targets being civil officials. So far the count has been four officials and sixty-one bodyguards. However the problem is this" Najenda began as she showed a flyer with the Night Raid emblem on it. "These have been found at each scene, thus insinuating us for the murders."

"They're framing us for the crimes?" Bulat asked. "It's easy to see that they're fakes."

"But that's obvious isn't it?" Tatsumi asked. "I mean for us to be claiming responsibility is a bit too far-fetched."

"That's what I thought for the first and second case, however now it seems like it could have been us." Najenda replied.

"Why?" Sheele asked.

"After each incident, the officials have increased their security but despite that are still being killed." Najenda explained. "In the last incident former Prime Minister Chouri and around 30 skilled guards were massacred. That also includes his daughter, a disciple of the Imperial Fist Temple's Master. No one but us could accomplish such a feat, is the popular opinion."

"In other words the enemy is just as strong as us." Akame summarized. "That could also mean they are Teigu users."

"Exactly" Najenda said as she lit a cigarette. "The officials killed were good people and wanted nothing to do with the current Prime Minister. They were people that made the Prime Minister sick at ease, in other words the Prime Minister is getting rid of his enemies and placing the blame on Night Raid. These are good people who are being killed, people who will be invaluable to leading the new country. As such we cannot allow these murders to continue, agreed?" Najenda asked and smiled when she received roars of agreement. "Very well, we already have a few possible targets leaving the capital so we'll dispatch two teams to protect them. One will be Akame and Lubbock and the other will be Tatsumi and Bulat."

"What about the rest of us?" Mine asked.

"Mine with your broken arm you need to remain here. Sheele will also stay here too while Leone observes Esdeath." Najenda replied. "We also need to keep an eye out for that Natsu character in case he reappears in this part again. I have the strange feeling that he is on the move right now."

 **(Elsewhere)**

Natsu let out a yawn as he sat down on the ground, the night sky above him and illuminated by the many stars. Behind him was Tensui Village, located in the Eastern region of the Empire. The villagers were currently packing up all their belongings onto carts while children, elderly and women were already seated on carriages as the men continued packing. The village had been discovered of giving supplies to foreign mercenaries and thus were marked to be slaughtered by the Empire's assassination unit. Natsu had found out about it due to passing by the campsite of the assassins two days ago. So he decided to warn the villagers and have pack everything they could and flee while he dealt with the assassins. Natsu even gave them a map and instructions to the villagers to head towards where the Path of Peace was located.

Currently Natsu was fiddling with his scarf when his ears picked up some noise. Lazily Natsu looked up and saw what appeared to be around fifty Imperial assassins, armed with different weapons ranging from swords, axes, spears, bows and arrows etc. "Damn you guys are really slow, you know that?" Natsu commented.

The assassins blinked in surprise, having not expected to be greeted by someone. It was only a few seconds later did they snap out of it and one of the assassins addressed Natsu. "Are you with the villagers?" He demanded.

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "You mean the ones you were sent to kill? I guess, though they just left. You can probably catch up with them…" Natsu began just as several assassins zoomed past him, deciding to ignore the pinkette and focus on their goal. However that proved to be a mistake as they just went past Natsu, a large wall of fire appeared out of nowhere, consuming the assassins. The others could only watch in horror as their comrades were burned alive, screaming in agony until death silenced them. "…If you can get past me." Natsu said as he stood up. "You guys should've waited for me to finish my sentence." He commented towards a nearby charred corpse.

"You bastard!" A large man cried, charging towards Natsu. He pulled out a battle axe and prepared to split Natsu in half. But Natsu merely stopped it with two fingers, shocking the larger man. He had little time to think as Natsu shot a fist-shaped fireball from his other hand, which burst through the larger man's chest, killing him instantly.

"Shit! He must be wielding a Teigu!" One assassin said as he and the others drew their weapons.

"Quickly, surround him and attack from all sides!" Another ordered.

The other assassins nodded as they began moving until they completely encircled Natsu, being sure to avoid the wall of fire. Those that had bows readied their arrows to provide support. Natsu however remained where he was, not the least bit concerned of being surrounded. "Attack!" The leader shouted as he and several others lunged at Natsu, weapons raised high. However the pinkette merely did a swing of is hand and suddenly there multiple combustions all around, consuming the assassins in fire. They all screamed briefly before the explosions cut off their voices.

The assassins that did not get hit continued charging until they were upon him. But not a single one of their attacks hit as Natsu dodged them all. Infusing his fists with flames, combined with his immense strength, Natus delivered lethal blows to his opponents. The assassins were either blown away by the punches, or ripped in half. Five assassins tried to dog pile Natsu, spears pointed forward. But the Dragon Slayer unleashed a barrage of fire infused punches that upon impact, released multiple explosions that obliterated the assassins. The archers fired their arrows at once, having coated them in poison for more lethal effect. However that proved fruitless as Natsu once again outdid them by shooting out multiple miniature fireballs from his mouth. The fireballs incinerated the arrows on contact while still flying towards the archer. Some of them managed to avoid the fireballs while those who were too slow were pierced by the deadly projectiles.

A sound caught Natsu's ears as he quickly spun around and raised his left arm, blocking a sword strike just in time. The wielder was a young girl with short black hair and matching black eyes. She wore a black and red sailor uniform with red gauntlets. There were a few scratches on her body, meaning she had still got caught in Natsu's attacks despite dodging them. Still the fact she managed to reach him impressed Natsu. The girl jumped back when Natsu swung his leg, and then charged forward again, sword raised. Natsu simply dodged the blade strike and the one after that and so on.

"Kurome has got him distracted! Move in and support her!" An assassin yelled as he and the others charged forward.

Natsu scoffed at that comment before disappearing. The girl, Kurome, was shocked as Natsu reappeared behind her, a flame foot heading straight towards her head. She raised her arms up just in time to block the blow with her gauntlets. However the impact sent her flying backwards several feet. Then turning his attention towards the other assassins, Natsu delivered a powerful punch. The magical energy released, combined with Natsu's immense strength, release a powerful concussive force that blew the assassins away while ripping some of them in half.

Kurome, who had managed to recover from Natsu's kick, noticed this and that there were only a few of her comrades left. Worse, she saw that the flame wall had begun to spread, slowly encircling around the battlefield. _'He's trying to cut off our escape route! We have to retreat or else he'll kill us all!'_ Kurome deduced. She could summon her most powerful puppets thanks to her sword teigu, Yatsufusa, but she had a feeling they would do little good against this guy and she might need them for later.

"Everyone! Pull back!" Kurome ordered. The remaining assassins, after realizing their current situation, quickly complied with her order and began falling back, away from Natsu. Said person stopped his attacks and merely watched them go, deciding to spare them. Once the assassins were gone from sight Natsu dispersed the fire wall, revealing that the villagers had already fled.

"Hmm well that was fun. Wonder what I should do next?" Natsu muttered to himself as he burned the corpses around him to ashes. When nothing came to mind, he just decided to head back to the Capital to see if anything interesting was happening there. So with that decided Natsu summoned flame wings from his back and took off into the air.

 **(Back at the Capital)**

"You know this place looks even worse every time." Natsu commented as he walked through an unusually less crowded street. He did not seem to mind the few looks from people as he kept strolling without a care in the world. Even from his position, the palace could still be seen, though it seemed out of place, what with its clean and expensive appearance compared to the small, slightly dirty and rundown facilities around it. Crocus was completely different, with the buildings matching the castle in terms of appearance back then. It was just another reason of how this Empire had fallen in Natsu's eyes.

And then there was the constant crime happening, along with the public executions where people would be crucified and left in the squares for all to see. It just burned Natsu's blood that there had been times when he wanted to transform into his dragon form and burn the place to the ground. But he managed to control himself; Natsu knew that doing such a thing would kill innocents too, and he did not want that. Though he was starting to see why Zeref hated humanity so much.

So focus was he on his thoughts that Natsu did not seem to notice that the streets became gradually emptier as he continued walking. It was only until his senses began to act up did he realize that up ahead were two women. One was Esdeath, who was calmly sitting on a bench to his left, after asking for something to eat. While the other was the blonde girl from a few days ago, hiding on top of the roofs to his right. Though slightly surprised of seeing Esdeath again, and alive for that matter, Natsu however just shrug it off and continued walking at a leisurely pace.

Meanwhile, Leone, her teigu activated, watched Esdeath from her position on the roof. She was crouched and ready to move as she observed the general. _'Esdeath is by herself and away from the palace, this is my chance to attack…is what I would normally think but…!'_ A cold shiver ran down Leone's spine as she watched Esdeath calmly wait for her ice cream. _'I know I can attack while in my beast form…but moving by herself is probably a trap to lure out assassins!'_

Leone shifted a bit until she felt murderous intent being radiated from the General. That caused her animal instincts to go haywire, telling her not to attack. _'Such murderous intent! Thinking I could take her out was naïve! I should…'_

Leone let out a silent gasp as another presence reached her, completely covering Esdeath's killing intent. It was one of hot, uncontrollable, great power that seemed to burn over the entire area, though not in a literal sense thankfully. However it also felt familiar to Leone, as if she felt it before. Turning her head she saw the source and couldn't believe her eyes. _'W-what's he doing here?!'_ Leone wondered as she watched Natsu casually walk down the street. She noticed that he was about to walk by Esdeath.

Meanwhile Esdeath was eating her ice cream when her body suddenly froze. The Danger Beast Blood within her began to pulse rapidly and the scar on her back was burning. It was as if it was responding to an imposing force that was nearby. The burning presence she felt envelop her only solidify that fact that someone powerful was nearby. It couldn't be the assassin that had been following her, and there was no one else in the vicinity…except for the pink haired young man walking past her. Without a second thought Esdeath got up from her spot and made her way over towards the young man.

"You…" Esdeath began as she reached out to touch Natsu's shoulder. However the moment her hand made contact, Esdeath flinched as her hand recoiled. She looked at it and saw that it was slightly burned from touching Natsu's shoulder. _'How did he do that? Does he possess a Teigu?'_ Esdeath wondered as she looked back at Natsu, only to be shocked to see that he vanished. Esdeath was so surprised by this that she did not really pay attention, nor really cared, that Leone had retreated, the blonde intending on informing Najenda of what transpired.

Elsewhere in the capital, we can see Natsu sitting cross-legged on top of a tall building, overlooking the city. His cloak and scarf flowing in the breeze as he closed his eyes. The ancient being could feel it: big changes were coming soon. With him now being active after so long, it was only a matter of time until the Zenith-Class Danger Beasts would begin to make their move, though whether or not they come after his head or not, Natsu would have to wait and see. It was only natural that animals would fight one another to be at the top of the food chain.

"I wonder what I should do this time? Observe or participate?" Natsu asked himself sniffed the air. "And with the Zenith-class beginning to move, things are going to get even more interesting." He added before Natsu disappeared in a swirl of flames.

 **And there you have it! Natsu ponders on whether he should take part in the human war or just continue watching as he usually does. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and be sure to review. Also more information about Zenith-Class Danger Beasts will be explained piece by piece in future chapters.  
**

 **Wacko12.**


	5. Meeting the Jaegers and Marking

**Chapter number 5 is up! Hope you all like it as we see some more action! Be sure to leave a review!**

 **(Night Raid Hideout)**

Sheele was sitting in the living room, reading her usual book of dealing with airheads. Mine was relaxing in the hot springs, using the mineral waters to heal her broken arm. It was a slow process but the sniper was strong and would heal soon. The only other people currently in the hideout besides her and Mine was Najenda. Leone was still out on patrol and the rest were on a mission to find the Night Raid imposter.

"Hey" A voice said. Turning her head away from her book, Sheele saw it was Natsu. He was poking his head into the room. "Do you guys have a bathroom I can use really quick?" He asked.

Sheele blinked while staring at Natsu. She had not sensed his presence at all and didn't even hear him enter the hideout. However, he did save Mine from being crushed and he did not give off any evil intentions, so the purple haired woman saw no problem in letting them use their toilet. "Sure" Sheele replied with a kind smile. "Just go down the hallway and then make the first right." She explained.

"Ah, thanks!" Natsu replied with a fanged grin before walking away.

As he walked away Sheele returned to her book. A few minutes later Leone, still having her Teigu active, came rushing in. She quickly spotted Sheele sitting on the couch. "Oi, Sheele! Where's the boss? I got big news!" Leone exclaimed.

"Calm down Leone, I'm right here." Najenda said, entering the living room. She had a cigarette in her mouth and her jacket was gone, leaving her only in a black tank top. "What happened? Did you run into Esdeath?" She asked the blonde.

"Yeah but not just her! That Natsu guy was also there too!" Leone exclaimed.

Najenda's eyes widened. She had not expected that. "What was he doing there? Wait, are you saying he was with Esdeath?" The silver haired beauty asked, wondering what happened when those two met.

"Not exactly, he was actually walking past her while I watched from the roofs. But it was definitely him, the feeling he gave off was same one when he fought him in the forest." Leon explained, shivering slightly as she remembered the feeling of Natsu's presence. It was strong and dominating…and slightly arousing though the blonde did not say that out loud. "I think Esdeath also felt something because she tried to reach him. But when she did I saw her recoil, like she got burned. And before I could blink he vanished. I decided to high tail it out of there while Esdeath was looking the other way."

Najenda rubbed her chin before letting out a frustrated sigh. "This Natsu fellow is a very complicated person. None of his actions make any sense at all. He hates the Empire and yet does not do anything like joining the Revolutionary Army. Yet he saved Mine and Sheele despite having no reason to do so, especially when we attacked him not too long ago. He later disappeared only to return to the capital and was briefly confronted by Esdeath. And then there is that incident yesterday…"

"What incident?" Leone asked confused.

"A team of Imperial Assassins were spotted heading towards a village that had been trading with foreign mercenaries, most likely to kill them. However, according to witnesses, a young man with pink hair protected the villagers as they fled. He was seen manipulating flames and single-handily slaughtered almost the entire team, forcing the survivors to retreat. I have no doubt that it was Natsu." Najenda explained. "As I said he is a complicated enigma and I have no doubt that word of yesterday will reach the Revolutionary Army HQ." Najenda commented. "Anyway, you look pretty freaked out, though I don't blame you after seeing Esdeath for the first time. Why don't we get you a drink?" The Night Raid Leader suggested.

"Damn straight! I could use one right now." Leone replied as she followed the silver haired woman. That just left Sheele alone once more reading her book. She had been half reading and half listening to the conversation but decided not to speak since Leone and Najenda finished up rather quickly

A minute or two later the sound of flushing could be heard. Then Natsu reappeared, looking refresh. He turned to face Sheele. "Thanks for that. See ya!" Natsu said while waving, already making his way out of the base.

"Your welcome" Sheele replied as she waved back politely and went back to her book.

 **(With Natsu)**

A while later Natsu was walking through the forest, far away from the main road. He always did prefer walking through the forest and other places untouched by man. It brought about a sense of peace to the Etherious. However even when he was deep within the forest he could feel the coming of change. Even as he lazed around these past few days, Natsu had kept in the loop of what was going in the world. Last he heard the forces of the Northern Tribes were beginning to move, having been urged on by his attack on Esdeath's army. The armies of the Western Tribe were slowly accumulating their forces while doing skirmishes with imperial forces. Natsu heard no news about the Revolutionary Army but he had a feeling they would be making their move soon, most likely waiting for the perfect opportunity to move. None of those were Natsu's concerns though, as right now he had to be prepared for-

"ROAR~!" A monstrous voice could be heard in the nearby vicinity. The trees shook as birds flew away in fright, followed the ground shaking as something big was approaching Natsu's location. The pinkette had a good guess on what it was. "And it begins…" He muttered as the oncoming figure jumped forward.

It was a large Danger Beast that towered above Natsu. It looked like a cross between several animals yet held a humanoid appearance. It had a pair of long deer antlers sticking out from the sides of its light brown mane, which reached its lower back. The beast's eyes were hugged along with its mouth, which looked like it could swallow a human whole. It had yellow skin with darker yellow fur covering its arms and legs. Sticking out from its rear was a long, yellowish-white snake tail extending, with a head at the end of it. In place of human feet, the creature had hooves instead. It was currently growling, glaring down at Natsu.

Said person did not seem to the least bit faze by the towering creature, a bored look on his face. "Chimera, a rare Danger Beast even amongst Ultra-Class Danger Beasts, well known for its impressive strength and speed and unique ability to alter the size of its body or parts of it for increase of physical capabilities." He commented.

Just as he finished his sentence, the Chimera let out another roar before swiftly striking Natsu with its fist. The impact released a shockwave, shattering the ground and sending debris and smoke flying. But when it cleared, the Chimera saw that Natsu was still standing in the same spot. He was perfectly fine and holding onto the Chimera's fist with a single hand. With ease, Natsu threw the Chimera over his shoulder, sending the large Danger Beast crashing hard.

"Oh come on! That can't be all?" Natsu asked, hoping for a better fight after so long.

In response, the Chimera roared in anger as it quickly got up and lunged at Natsu, swinging its fists. The Dragon Slayer avoided each blow as the ground around him was pulverized by the Chimera's punches. Natsu than sent a strong upper kick to the Danger Beast's chin, stunning it. That allowed him to send a punch to the cheek, which caused the Chimera to tumble across the ground.

Natsu just looked on in disappointment. He was kind of hoping that it would be more…impressive, at least a warm up until the Zenith-Class ones came. Though from a human's view, the Chimera would be more threatening and challenging so he really couldn't complain.

His thoughts were broken as the Chimera got back up and did a low punch. Natsu stepped to the side and avoided the strike, watching as tons of dirt and earth was sent flying because of the shockwave. Natsu casually released a fire ball from his hand, hitting the Danger Beast in the face, making it roar in pain while reeling backwards.

Fully infuriated, the Chimera stood up and raised both its arms. Natsu watched as the arms began to shift and get larger. The rest of its body also began to grow in size but were small in compared to the now humongous arms the Chimera now possessed. By the time it was done increasing its size, the Chimera head could be seen over the trees. It growled down at Natsu, saliva coming out its mouth from rage. Without even giving Natsu a chance to act, the Chimera brought down both of its enlarged fists down on top of the dragon slayer. The shockwave from the blow kicked up a large dust storm and sent the trees and dirt scattering everywhere. But at the center of the crater, there was now body or blood.

"Too slow" Natsu's voice said. Having jumped upwards at an incredible speed, Natsu was now directly above the Chimera. With his hand now infused with flames, Natsu delivered a swift downward motion, decapitating the Danger Beast's head from its neck. He did not seem to pay any attention to the blood flying everywhere as he let out a disappointed sigh. Looking at the sky, Natsu had a distant look in his eyes. "I miss the good old days when things were a challenge." He said sadly. Natsu than looked down and stared at the Chimera's corpse. "I wonder if this tastes any good."

 **(Elsewhere)**

Akame's body suddenly went rigged, startling Lubbock who was on a nearby branch. The two were watching their target, an official who might be attacked by the imposter Night Raid. "Oi Akame-chan, what's wrong?" Lubbock asked. It was very rare for Akame to act like this and most of the time it was because she sensed something.

"I-I feel something amiss, as if someone was having a great feast. Eating some of the most delicious meat." Akame began, her hair shadowing her eyes. "And I missed it!" She roared, her eyes now filled with furious flames causing Lubbock to jump in surprise. Her scream nearly caught the attention of the nearby people, if not for Lubbock's quick thinking. He slammed his hand on top of Akame's mouth, silencing her. However, both of them lost their footing and fell into the snow covered ground below.

 **(Few Days Later)**

"I'm bored" Natsu muttered to himself as he sat on one of the many roofs of the Imperial Palace (honestly it was just too easy for him to sneak in there, and he used to be loud and reckless, time sure changes a person).

After that 'fight', little had happened over the past few days nothing happening in either the capital or in the area around it. Although there had been several Teigu users entering the capital yesterday so clearly something was going to happen. Besides that, Natsu was completely bored out of his mind, desperate to find something to amuse him. It was than his enhanced hearing picked up the sound of cheering. Turning his head Natsu noticed it was coming from the stadium not too far away from the palace. Curious, the Dragon Slayer decided to check it out. It was better than just hanging around the palace with the fat man here, stinking up the place. With that in mind, Natsu ignited flames under his feet and shot off towards the coliseum to check out the action.

As he was heading towards the stadium, there was something going on in a specific room in the palace. This room was notable for being the main office of Great General Budo, the man who commanded the Imperial Guards and held the highest military rank. Said person was a large man with tan skin, blonde hair, a muscular body and wore armor underneath a large red cape. Over his arms was a pair of gauntlets with pistons sticking out of them. He was sitting at his desk with a serious look on his face.

"As always, the palace has such a wonderful view of the city." A voice said. "If only it was not filled with such darkness it would be a lot better."

Turning his head, Budo looked at the source of the voice. The source was an elderly man looking out the nearby window. He was a tall man but was still shorter than Budo. His white-grey hair reached the center of his back but was tied into a ponytail. Along with that he had a thick beard and brown eyes. His attire was a simple white kimono with yellow lines, with a long black haori over that with the kanji for "Bright" on the back of it. The coat was situated on his shoulders, looking like he was wearing a cape. He also had prayer beads around his neck and finally wore a pair of sandals. Despite his elderly appearance, an experience warrior could clearly tell that this man was not someone to be underestimated. And you could slightly make out his muscular body underneath his clothes too.

"Hmph, blame the Prime Minister for the Capital's, as well the whole Empires', state. His poisonous words have completely corrupted the young Emperor and thus the decline." Budo explained, spitting out the words 'Prime Minister' as he said the title.

"Heh, you got to take some of the blame too Budo-kun. You let that pig take over the government and control the young Emperor." The elderly man said.

Budo sighed, knowing that the man was right. But it was still hard to accept. "That's why I asked for your help. Out of everyone I know you have influence that even exceeds that of the Emperor and that fat toad, former Great General Nikolai." Budo said.

Nikolai chuckled while stroking his beard. "Still it seems like it was the right choice to answer your call. Not only has END reappeared, but it seems like little Esy has created a new team of Teigu users to combat this Night Raid was it? Led by little Naje?" Nikolai asked.

"Indeed though I am a little uncertain of trusting someone like Esdeath with such power. However so long as she focuses on eliminating Night Raid, that will be good for the Empire and demoralize the Revolutionary Army." Budo replied.

"And then you'll focus your sight on the Prime Minister correct." Nikolai added.

"Indeed though it will be troublesome if Esdeath gets in my way. I hope I can rely on your assistance when the time comes Master." Budo said.

"Don't worry I'll be there to help ya. You're not the only one who would like to see that pig brat put down Budo-kun." Nikolai replied before heading towards the door. "Now I assume you already made a room for me?"

"I arranged one the moment I received your reply. One of my Imperial Guardsmen will escort you there." Budo replied as he opened the door for Nikolai, revealing two guardsmen waiting outside.

"Good, good. I swear this place keeps changing every day. Feels like I'm in a damn maze." Nikolai muttered as one of the Imperial Guards escorted him to his room.

Meanwhile the remaining guard looked at the Great General. "Budo-sama, that man, is he…?" The guard asked.

"Yes that man was Nikolai, a former Great General before he handed it over to his successor, my predecessor. Despite his age, he is still regarded as the 'Strongest Human'." Budo answered. "We were quite fortunate that he agreed to come out of retirement and help us. I have a feeling we will need him in the upcoming battles and getting rid of that pig Honest." Budo said, getting a nod of agreement from the guard. It was no secret that the Royal Guard and Imperial Guardsmen were loyal to Budo and him alone. And many of them shared his distaste of the Prime Minister and how his actions have harmed the Empire.

Back with Natsu, he had just arrived at the stadium, sitting on top of the VIP box section, completely unnoticed by the audience. Their attention was instead focused on the combatants below. One was a large, muscular man that vaguely reminded Natsu of Elfman and wore a bull mask over his face. The other was the brunette that Natsu had met a few days ago. _'Strange, I feel the aura of a Teigu on his person. Maybe he acquired one since the last time I saw him.'_ Natsu mused to himself as the announcer shouted for the match to start.

Well it wasn't really much of a match. In just two to three minutes, the brunette easily overpowered his larger foe. The kid ended it with a powerful kick to the head, knocking out the bull mask wearing man. The reaction from the audience was what Natsu expected; they were all speechless at the unexpected outcome. But the moment the announcer declared the brunette the winner, the whole crowd let loose cheers for the young winner and Natsu couldn't help but be impress of how quickly the kid changed from when he last saw him. When Esdeath came down a minute later and clicked a collar around Tatsumi's neck before dragging him away, Natsu couldn't stop from laughing at the total disbelieving looks on the crowds' faces. When he finally calmed down he decided to follow after Esdeath and see what would happen next to the poor boy.

 **(Later that Afternoon, Imperial Palace)**

And Natsu was correct. In fact, what he saw was so funny he had to resist the urge not to burst out laughing at the scene.

Peeking through a window, Natsu watched as Esdeath introduced Tatsumi to Jaegers as her new lover. Said lover was currently tied to a chair with the collar around his neck. Though he could not see his facial expression, Natsu could guess that Tatsumi was extremely uncomfortable and annoyed in his current situation. He nearly lost it when one of Esdeath's subordinates, a young blue haired man who reeked of fish, and a blonde young man with a pretty boy face, suggested removing the collar so Tatsumi looks less like a pet and more of a lover.

Natsu's attention was quickly diverted when he sensed something. It was nearby and in the palace but he could not quite pinpoint its exact location. But Natsu could definitely feel it, a feeling he had not felt in a very, very long time: Magical energy. Natsu nearly lost his grip on the wall upon recognizing the energy. He had never thought he would sense magical energy, especially from a human after so long. _'It feels like the person is doing a good job of concealing it, releasing only a minimal amount. But even then, I can tell that this person has an incredible amount of magical energy, perhaps on par with August and Irene combined. Though it does feel odd but I can't put my finger on it."_ Natsu thought as excitement began to course though him. The realization of fighting another mage after so long was starting to sink in that he could barely control himself. In truth, all Teigu users, both past and present, had magical energy, which allowed them to use Teigu. However, they never had enough power or knowledge to bring it out, though some like Esdeath and Budo were close though they did not know of any magic.

Before Natsu could investigate further, his attention shifted back to the Jaegers. Apparently, they were about to have their first mission: eliminating a nearby bandit base. It would also give Esdeath a chance to see the potential of her new subordinates. However, that also gave Natsu an idea; he was also curious in seeing what these humans could do as well. "Perhaps I'll give them a test of my own." Natsu mused before silently taking into the air, making his way towards where the bandit base was located.

 **(Outside the Capital, near Bandit's base)**

Tatsumi and Esdeath both sat at the edge of a cliff that overlooked the bandit's base. Down below were the rest of the Jaegers, preparing for their assault on the bandit's camp. "We should be able to see the show from up here. It will be quite the spectacle." Esdeath commented.

"I wonder if it's okay for me to be the only one to be relax?" Tatsumi muttered to himself, before a thought came to mind. _'Ah, isn't this a good chance for me to escape?'_ However, that plan was quickly crushed as a blushing Esdeath gripped his hand with hers. _'No! I can't possible escape now!'_ Tatsumi thought in defeat.

 **Boom!**

A loud explosion startled Tatsumi and even Esdeath. The two looked up to see a large plume of smoke rising from bandit's camp, which was currently ablaze. At first Esdeath had thought it was caused by her team, only see them still walking towards the camp. She narrowed her eyes, contemplating whether or not to go and investigate. Eventually she decided not to, as this would still present a good opportunity to see her new team in action.

Back with the rest of the Jaegers, they had already seen the explosion coming from the bandit camp and immediately picked up their pace to investigate. When they arrived, they could see the destruction done to the base up close. The flames could be seen over the wall that surrounded the base, with the smoke rising high up into the sky. A few corpses lied near the entrance, either burned to the bone or ripped apart into bloody pieces. It was quite the grueling sight.

"Who, or what, could have done this?" Wave, a young man from the Imperial Navy, asked.

"I never read about any Teigu that could be capable of such destruction." Run, an attractive blonde young man, said. He gazed deep into the fire, trying to see any movement within.

"Wait! I can see something moving!" Bols, the largest member with a muscular built and wearing a gas mask, informed.

The others readied themselves as the silhouette of a person could be seen within the flames. Seryu, who was now sporting metal arms, stood protectively in front of Dr. Stylish, a flamboyant looking man wearing a lab coat.

Coming out of the burning camp was none other than Natsu. He looked perfectly fine as he walked through the fire covered base. "Ah, those guys were no fun. I guess I could give the food and gold I found to the slum folks, so it wasn't all pointless." Natsu said to himself, before realizing that he was facing the Jaegers. "Hello" Was all Natsu said.

Wave blinked, not expecting this. After all, who comes out of a burning base, completely fine, and the first thing they say is "hello"? It made no sense to the sailor.

"You!" It was Kurome who responded first. Drawing her sword, the assassin attacked Natsu before any of the Jaegers could speak. The pinkette merely blocked the blade with two fingers easily.

Natsu gave Kurome a bored look. "Er, have we met before?" He asked, genuinely confused.

Of course, that only angered Kurome further, as she tried to aim a kick at Natsu's head. But the young man easily dodged the blow, followed by a palm thrust that sent Kurome flying backwards. She was saved from violently crashing by Wave, now wearing his armored Teigu, Grand Chariot. Having come to the conclusion that this new person was an enemy, the rest of the Jaegers sprang into action: Run activated Mastema, its wings popping out from the disks on his back, and the blonde took to the air. Bols readied Rubicante, the flamethrower pointed at Natsu. Dr. Stylish stepped back, preferring to watch the scene from a safe distance. Seryu charged straight towards Natsu, a mad grin on her face, now distorted into a feature of insanity.

"Face justice, evildoer!" Seryu called as she raised her new metal arm, fully expecting the blow to tear Natsu's head off. Instead, Natsu swiftly caught the fist with one hand, much to Seryu's shock. With little effort, Natsu threw Seryu back, then turned his attention towards Koro, who had now changed to his large form, including his arms. The biological Teigu charged forward, preparing to pummel Natsu into the ground.

But before he could do anything, Koro paused as he finally recognized Natsu from a few nights ago. A look of fear formed on the Teigu's face as Natsu lit his right hand in flames. "I thought I said I didn't want to see your face again." Natsu growled as he delivered a powerful, burning blow into the petrified Koro's stomach. The impact created an explosion that not only damaged Koro heavily, but sent him crashing into the nearby trees.

"Flames from his fist! Does he wield some kind of Teigu?" Run wondered as he watched the scene from above.

"Doesn't matter, let's get him!" Wave cried as he charged towards Natsu, an armored fist already at the ready. Natsu, though, merely dodged the punch before stopping a follow-up kick with his bare hands. "What?!" Wave shouted, shocked that someone so easily blocked one of his blows, and while wearing his armor too.

"You're pretty hot-headed." Natsu mused before delivering a powerful punch to Wave's stomach. The formed a crack in Wave's armor and sent the naval officer flying backwards. The Teigu user just barely managed to recover, stopping his flight by digging his armored fingers into the ground. "Though, I'm also kind of like that too."

The sound of several objects whizzing through the air caught Natsu's attention. Looking up, he saw a barrage of feathers diving straight towards him. Behind them, he saw Run preparing to fire another volley. With a single hand gesture, Natsu released a wave of a flames that instantly incinerated the feather projectiles. The flames continued going upwards, forcing Run to fly out of the way.

"Number 7: Taizan's Cannon of Justice!" A voice cried, catching Natsu's attention. Turning around, he found himself facing Seryu, holding a large cannon pointed right at him. The girl had another insane face as she fired the weapon. The shell hit Natsu head on, consuming him in an explosion.

"Justice always prevails!" Seryu declared, Koro letting out a bark in agreement, the Teigu happy to see the scary pinkette gone.

"Well done, Seryu-chan! As expected of you, you handled my weapon very well!" Dr. Stylish exclaimed as he approached the girl. His compliment pleased the girl, as she had a cheerful smile on her face.

"Still, who the hell was that guy?" Wave asked as he dismissed his armor. Meanwhile Run had landed beside him while Kurome sheathed her sword, a frown on her face, most likely being that she wanted to be the one to kill Natsu. Bols soon joined them.

"Well, we'll never know now." Run said as he stared at the column of smoke caused by Seryu's attack. "Anyway, seeing how the bandit camp is destroyed, we should return to Esdeath and-"

His voice was cut off when the sound of suction filled the area. Turning around, the Jaeger members watched in astonishment as the smoke and flames were starting to shrink, as if being sucked into something. They soon saw that it was Natsu, unharmed as he sucked in the flames into his mouth, like a vacuum.

"Mmm, I haven't had such tasty flames in a long time." Natsu said with a pleased smile on his face.

The Jaegers though, were quite the opposite. They could only stare in shock and horror as this 'man' had done the impossible, surviving an explosion unharmed, and sucking in the flames like one would do with food. "T-that's not possible…what the hell are you?!" Wave exclaimed as he tried to comprehend what he just saw.

Natsu smirked as he raised his hand. "Well as blondie there said…you'll never know." He said as he suddenly fired a large fireball straight towards the Jaegers. It was moving far too fast and they still had not fully knocked out of their stupor, they would not be able to get out of the way. But just as they thought they were goners, a wall of ice appeared between them and the fireball. The flames hit the ice head on, managing to melt it quite a bit, but nevertheless the wall stood firm.

"It seems that you've been giving my subordinates a hard time." A voice said.

The Jaegers instantly recognized the voice and their hopes soared. "Commander!" Seryu shouted.

Esdeath paid no heed to her subordinates. After seeing the explosion of the bandit base a while ago, followed by the sounds of battle afterwards, she decided to investigate, dragging a reluctant Tatsumi with her. Riding on a floor of ice from the hill to the current location, Esdeath arrived just in time to protect her subordinates from what would've been a fatal attack. She elegantly landed on the ground, with Tatsumi beside her. Taking a quick look at her ice wall, the General was a bit surprised of seeing it half melted, a rare feat as her ice could withstand even cannonballs and other projectiles with ease. Esdeath than looked at the mysterious attacker, and was a bit surprised that it was the same pinkette she saw a few days ago. Once again, the strange feeling she got began to stir.

She wasn't the only one who was reacting to Natsu's appearance. Having seen the explosion, Tatsumi had thought this would be his chance to escape, but was proven wrong when Esdeath dragged him with her. Imagine his surprise when he saw that it was the same person that Night Raid had fought a while ago. The same person that had saved Sheele and Mine from Seryu and her dog. Tatsumi could only hope that Natsu would not reveal his affiliation to Night Raid, because if he did than Tatsumi was screwed.

Back to reality, Esdeath drew her rapier and pointed her blade at Natsu. "I don't know who you are, but for attacking my team, I'll be taking you to the torture chambers for interrogation. I do hope that you give me a good fight, though, as you costed me the chance of seeing what my new subordinates could do." The Ice General said.

Natsu said nothing, instead of opting to give both Esdeath and Tatsumi curious looks. After a few seconds, Natsu raised his right hand before making a sweeping motion. At that moment, a moderate size fireball appeared to Esdeath's left, much to her surprise.

Reacting on instincts, Esdeath immediately formed a shield of ice to block the flaming projectile. It deflected the major damage, but the intense heat caused her left sleeve to incinerate, and burn her arm a bit. _'What incredible heat! It's just like END's flames!'_ Esdeath thought.

As the fireball finally dispersed, Esdeath attempted to attack Natsu…only to be surprised when said pinkette appeared in front of her. With a smile on his face, Natsu delivered a hard punch to the stomach. The impact caused Esdeath to cough up blood was she was sent flying backwards, crashing through her own ice wall and several trees.

The Jaegers were in a state of shock. They just witnessed the Esdeath, the Empire's Strongest, not just get hit, but also sent flying with ease. Such a feat was considered impossible. However, Tatsumi's focus was on Natsu, who was now looking at him. However, judging by the look in his eyes, the pinkette's thoughts seemed to be elsewhere, as if he was having a debate with himself.

' _Shit, shit! What should I do?'_ Tatsumi thought desperately, sweat going down his face. _'Esdeath is finally away from me, so I could try to escape. But there is no telling what this guy might do? Should I fight? No, I won't stand a chance against this guy if he was able to take on all of Night Raid by himself, and send Esdeath flying like that. I might have a chance if I use Incursio, but that will blow my cover, and I haven't fully gotten use to using its invisibility.'_

Tatsumi's thoughts were broken when Natsu's hand suddenly circled around his throat. Though it wasn't a tight grip that he was choking, it was strong enough that Tatsumi couldn't escape, just uselessly struggle as Natsu lifted him up. With his feet dangling off the ground by a few inches, the brunette saw a different look in Natsu's eyes, one that showed he made a decision.

"You'll make a good candidate, I can tell that for sure." Natsu mused. His hand that was holding Tatsumi by the throat began to glow red, with smoke trailing off of it as Tatsumi felt heat begin to touch his flesh. It was so intense that the brunette could not hold back a scream of pain that left his lips.

At that moment, something rocketed out of the woods, past the Jaegers, who were still frozen in shock, also they could not reach Natsu with the ice wall in the way. Jumping through the hole on the ice wall she had made earlier, Esdeath reared her fist back, a look of fury on her face. A good fight she enjoyed, but she will not tolerate anyone who hurts what's hers. "Get your filthy hands off Tatsumi!" Esdeath growled as she thrust her fist forward, straight towards Natsu's head.

Without even looking, Natsu caught the punch with his other hand with ease. Turning his gaze slightly, Natsu looked at the shocked Esdeath, before saying, "I guess you'll also make a good contestant." Before the same red glow began to emit from his hand, causing Esdeath to shout in pain at the burning heat hitting her flesh.

After what felt like an eternity, the searing heat finally left as Natsu released them. Both Tatsumi and Esdeath collapsed to their knees, panting heavily while caressing their neck and hand respectively. Not even looking up, they heard Natsu say, "I hope you two are prepared for the new battles your about to face." And then vanished into flames just as the Jaegers finally got through Esdeath's ice wall. At the same time, a mark began to appear on the right side of Tatsumi's neck, and the back of Esdeath's hand. A black mark in the shape of a downward pointing pentacle. Neither of them would know the significance until much later.

 **So, there you have it! Chapter 5 remade and longer. Also check out chapter 3 and 4, there have been some changes. Anyway, please review!**


	6. Zenith Class Danger Beasts Creation

**Hi everyone! I know it's been a while and I apologize for this not being an actual chapter, but what I am announcing has importance!**

 **As you know, Zenith-Danger Beasts will be making appearances. However, I am having trouble on deciding what they should be, so I decided to ask you, my lovely readers to help me out with ideas for Zenith Danger Beasts.**

 **A brief description about them is that Zeniths are the strongest Danger Beasts, second only to END. They have evolved from years of battle and when given approval from END himself, are allowed to form their own packs of lower classed Danger Beasts and claim territory for themselves. Each of them has their own appearances and abilities and the Zenith Danger Beasts are loyal to END, though they may challenge him if they desire.**

 **If you wish to do so, then you need to give these details:**

 **Name:**

 **Titles:**

 **Gender:**

 **Appearance:**

 **Personality:**

 **Abilities:**

 **Regarding appearances, they can either be humanoid or more bestial like.**

 **For abilities, they cannot be over the top. Try and simmer down when you do that part. You can do more than one if you wan too. And try to be original with their appearance and abilities.  
**

 **If you're interested, either send me a private message or leave a review of your Zenith Class Danger Beast.**


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